WHAT Does Trammell DO All Day?

My friend Andrea, of Blogging Mama Andrea fame, posed the following question –

“If I could ask you to do a post? I'm not Mormon (but my sister is, hehe - I love saying that) what exactly do they do on a mission?

Dispell the crazy door knocking bible salesman myth for me? “



Great question! I’m so glad you asked.  I would love to tell you........and I hope I don't make you sorry you asked!


I’ll answer this question based on Trammell’s experience in Cambodia. There are about 350 missions so some things vary, but for the most part all the missions follow the same basic schedule.


Trammell lives in an apartment in Cambodia with his companion and one other companionship.  He is assigned a companion by the mission president and they are assigned an area to work in.  

(four missionaries in their apartment)

Everyday, they get up at 6:30 and spend 30 minutes exercising and then get dressed, have breakfast, have personal scripture study, companionship study and planning time.


They leave the house around 10:30. Most of Trammell’s days are taken up by appointments. The appointments are with people who are investigators (people who are not members but are interested in learning about the Church), new members, or with people who have already joined the Church but don’t participate any more.  About 96% of Cambodians are Buddhists.  When the missionaries meet with people, they teach them about Jesus Christ, our purpose in life, premortal life, eternal families, priesthood authority, and church doctrine.

Trammell and his companion ride bikes everywhere.

In most missions, if you do not have an appointment, you go tracting. Tracting is going door to door in a neighborhood or apartment complex. They knock on the door and when someone answers, ask if they are interested in hearing a message about Jesus Christ. Most missionaries don’t love going tracting. It’s pretty rare that you knock on a stranger’s door, they are home, you ask if they want to talk about religion and they are thrilled to throw the door open and invite you in. It’s just not a very productive way to share the gospel.

However, in Cambodia, going door to door is illegal. It is against the law to go door to door talking about religion. They are allowed to go to people’s houses if they are invited. And surprisingly, they are allowed to approach people on the street and ask them if they would like to know more about Jesus Christ. Most of Trammell’s days are filled with going from appointment to appointment. They can take time off for lunch mid-day but they do not go back home for lunch. They usually buy lunch off the street. They can get a bowl of noodles with vegetables and little bit of meat or fish from a street vendor for about 50 cents. I get the impression though that they skip lunch most days and keep working. Usually, missionaries go back home for dinner around 5:30 and then go back out and work from 6:30 on. In America, the missionaries will often go to church members’ houses for dinner. In Cambodia, the people are much too poor to ask them or expect them to feed the missionaries.


I get the impression that most of the time, Trammell and his companion just stay out working and come home at 9:30 and get something to eat. All missionaries must be back in their apartments by 9:30. They will then eat, shower, plan for the next day and report in to their supervisors so that the mission president can know that everyone is home safe and sound for the day.


They follow this schedule six days a week. Each week they have a preparation day or P-day. Trammell’s is on Wednesday. They still get up at 6:30 and exercise and study, but the remainder of the day until dinner time is used to do laundry, shop for the week’s food, maybe do a little site seeing, and the most important part WRITE HOME! Yippee!!!! The missionaries go to an internet café and have 45 minutes to write their family and write a letter to the mission president telling him about their week, the people they are teaching, what they have learned etc.   Cambodia is 14 hours ahead of us....so Trammell's Wednesday morning is our Tuesday night.  We can't help ourselves.  We find ourselves checking our computer every 15 minutes on Tuesday evening just waiting for that email to pop in.  Trammell is an awesome writer.  His emails are usually two pages long.  He rarely tells us anything about the weather, the places he lives, the sites he's seen, the food or even anything about his companion.  He writes about all the miracles he has seen everyday, the people he is teaching and how humble and wonderful they are and the things he's learned.  It is obvious in his words and tone that he LOVES what he is doing.

After dinner on P-Day, it’s back to regular missionary work.

The everyday work/teaching schedule is broken up with church on Sunday, training meetings with supervisors, training with other missionaries, church activities, baptism and service. Missionaries perform 4-5 hours of service every week. In America, the missionaries will do yard work for the elderly, clean a neighborhood park or open space, help people move, work at the church cannery, or volunteer at a community event. In Cambodia, the missionaries might work in the rice paddies planting or harvesting, help build houses (huts), or do dental assisting at a clinic. That kind of scares me – the thought of an untrained 19 year old performing dental procedures……..but these people don’t have anyone one else who can help. It is a different world!

You can imagine what a life changing experience this is.  Missions are wonderful opportunities for personal growth whether they are in the United States, South America, Europe or a thrid world country like Cambodia.  There is nothing like it!  It is a huge sacrifice and it is extremely demanding and hard. The missionaries give up comfortable housing, familiar food, cars, television, movies, music, and girlfriends and delay their education, romance, and careers to serve.  And they serve at their own expense. 

I know that Trammell is "getting" more than he is giving and I know he wouldn't trade these two years for anything.  I don't doubt that when he gets home, he will tell us it was the hardest two years of his life, but I am sure he will say the rewards outweighed his sacrifice.

Thanks for asking Andrea.  I hope I didn't bore you to death
I'm always happy to answer any questions and I'm glad you asked!

BE THANKFUL!

You know what I am thankful for today?

I am SOOOO THANKFUL that Trammell loves his mission.
He is so HAPPY!

Of course, I wish he was coming home from Christmas.
Yes, I miss texting him obscure song lyrics.
Sure, it's not the same without him.
Yeah, we wish we could talk to him.

But I would NEVER take away the awesome experience he is having.
NEVER.
It is life changing.
He will never be the same.
We really, really liked him before.
But he's going to be that much more incredible.

I LOVE TRAM!
I'm so thankful he's on a mission!

HAPPY HOUR FRIDAY/THANKSGIVING

I know, I know, it's Happy Hour Friday, but I'm changing it up today.

I'm HAPPY it's Friday!
You don't know how HAPPY I am!
But I've also wanted to chat a little bit everyday about things I am THANKFUL for.
It IS the month of thankfulness!


So let's be THANKFUL and then we'll be HAPPY!


Today, I am thankful for my husband.
I've said it before but he is the greatest.
He completes me.

He's always looking out for me and he's always looking for a way to make my life easier. He's got my back!
Yesterday, one of my Post-it's was to the Boneheads, asking them to get their dishes IN the dishwasher, not just next to the dishwasher.  I was speaking of my lovely, wonderful sons.


Brian wanted the blogging world to know, "Oh I AM a Bonehead, but I do the dishes!" 
It's true.  Whenever we have people over for dinner, he does ALL the dishes.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, President's Day,  Groundhog Day, St. Patricks' Day.  You can count on him! 


Okay, Bri, I cleared your name. 
But that's not really why I am thankful for him - doing dishes!
It's everything.  He does everything!
He's the best!
Love him!!!!!


On to the HAPPY -
* I cannot tell you how HAPPY I am that it is Friday.  This was the longest week in the history of the world.

* I am HAPPY that I finished Christmas shopping for Trammell.  I just need to wrap everything and ship it tomorrow so that it reaches Cambodia in time.

* I am HAPPY about that Maple Cake donut I had for breakfast.  Food always makes me HAPPY!

* Reading makes me HAPPY!  There are so many books and so little time.  I love reading.  I love reading on a beach even more, but reading is good.

* I am HAPPY that the holidays are approaching.  I'm already in a pretty festive (read generous) mood!

* Funny people make me HAPPY! 

 Laughing makes me HAPPY!  I know - I have the sense of humor of a teenage boy!

* Blizzards make me HAPPY!  I loved last week's snow storm.  But I also like this week's 70 degree weather.

* In the words of T-Pain (also in jail on a weapons related charge) "She had them apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur."  I'm not a fan of apple bottom jeans

but I love boots with fur.  Boots with fur make me HAPPY!

Yea!  Love the snow and boot weather!  Bring it!

Happy Friday!  Go be thankful!  Go be happy!

THAT'S WHAT HE SAID -

EVERYONE LOVES TUESDAY!

Get your own Random on!  The get on over and see Keely at The Unmom and hook up with Mr. Linky!

Here's some RaNDoM things I heard this week:


Parker slept as we drove through the lovely state of Nebraska.
He suddenly awoke -
"Where ARE we?  It smells like Porta Potty."
Indeed it did.

We were discussing the local Halloween store -you know the temporary ones that open up in vacant stores.
Grandpa - "Yeah tomorrow is the day to go to the Halloween store.  Everything will be half off."
Garrett - "Oh we went Thursday and everything already was half off - at least all the girl's costumes were."
He wasn't talking about the price.  Get it?????

Garrett was rummaging through the pantry on his way through the house from school to work.
He emerges with a handful of Slim Jims.

"Parker, why don't you like Slim Jims? What's wrong with you?"
Before Parker can answer, Garrett launches one about 40 feet from the kitchen into the family room where Parker is lounging on the couch:
"Here!  Try one of these little pieces of ecstasy!"




Me: "Boys what would you like for dinner......I can make....."
Garrett: "What? I thought we were going to Five Guys Burgers and Fries after I get done working."

NO mention has ever been made of this plan by ANYONE adultish in this house.
Garrett: "Yep we're going for Family Home Evening. Remember?  Xan (their cousin) is working and we must support her."

Point one - What does going to Five Guys Burgers and Fries have to do with Family Home Evening?
Point two - Xan works there three evenings a week, we aren't going there three evenings a week.
Point three - Xan does not make fries on commission.  She's getting her $7.50 whether we show up or not.
Point four - Guess what?  We ARE going to Five Guys Burgers and Fries for dinner.

Garrett was about two steps in the door from school. Before I could even ask Garrett how his day was, which he finds soooooo invasive, he popped off with -
"Mr. Shellenberger said I've rounded the corner in Calculus.
Nothing exciting happened in Econ today.
I have a dentist appointment tomorrow at 2:30 but I don't need a note cuz I have Leadership and they will never know I'm gone.
Well...that's it.  Case closed."

Huh?

Well in the words of Garrett - THAT'S IT!  CASE CLOSED!

Happy Random!

NAUVOO

We decided to wrap up our Nauvoo trip with a visit to some of the restored houses and stores.  Really, there is no way to describe it.  The Church has restored numerous buildings to how they looked and operated in 1840.  Missionaries in period dress give tours of the buildings.  And by give tours, I mean that they are experts in describing blacksmithing, baking, and the family history of the inhabitants of the houses.  It was really amazing.  Oh, and everything is FREE.

Garrett: "Oh shoot!  I shouldn't have shaved my beard.  I could have participated in the re-enactments.  I could have been the mob!"

Luckily for us, they don't do re-enactments.  Thanks for volunteering though, Garrett!

Once again, because it was fall, we were the only ones at each of these houses and buildings and receive personalized attention.  We went to the Blacksmith shop where the boys watched a demonstration of blacksmithing and received mini horseshoes and rings made of horseshoe nails.

The Browning Gun-making shop and home.

For any gun enthusists (like they would be reading this blog), this is THE Jonathan Browning - inventor/founder of Browning guns and mechanisms.  He joined the church and moved west with the pioneers.  His family still operates Browning guns in Ogden Utah.

Scovil Bakery - they hand out little gingerbread men here.  During the spring and summer, a real bakery makes 40,000 cookies to hand out to visitors.

Parker is curious how far down the well goes but was unwilling to let us push him in to see.

We also visited the garden outside the Nauvoo Visitors' Center which has a statue garden that is a tribute to womanhood.  The boys were obviously in awe and were very respectful!

Enough already!  Can you say, "Casting your pearls before swine?"
We left Nauvoo and started the trip home by heading to Liberty, MO.

DAY THREE - AND WE STILL LIKE EACH OTHER!

Day Three - Best day of the trip!!!!
Seriously, this day was the highlight of the trip.
THIS is what we came for!

Brian and I got up early and went to the Nauvoo Temple.

It is gorgeous!
It was so peaceful.
Then the boys met us to perform baptisms.
There is nothing better than being in the temple with your family.

The people were so warm and kind.
They were so wonderful to share the history of the temple with us and show us around.

HOT TIP -
Fall is the BEST time to visit Nauvoo.
It is a) notpacked with summer crowds and b) the weather is gorgeous instead of hot and humid.
During the summer, the population of the town swells and the town is not really set up to handle al the tourists.  We had the place almost to ourselves. 

The temple with the boys was the BEST!!!!!

Then, we hopped in the car and headed to Carthage.
Carthage is just a 30-40 minute drive from Nauvoo.
Carthage Jail is where Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred.

The Church does a phenomenal job of restoring these sites and providing information and tours of all of the church history sites free of charge.

The missionary who took us on the tour of Carthage did an incredible job.
Once again, we were the only ones there and had the place to ourselves.
She showed us the bullet holes in the door and the window sill.
There was plenty of time to look around, ask questions and sit and ponder.

It truly was a wonderful family day.

We got back to the hotel in time for a little rest.
Our room was on the second floor.
Just outside our room was a little sitting area where you could enjoy hot chocolate or tea and cookies every afternoon.
The boys took full advantage and they weren't happy that I preserved their "Tea Party" for posterity.
Garrett was somehow disappointed that with two teabags and FOUR packets of sugar, his herbal tea was "tasteless."  Total dorks!

For dinner, we got to go to Grandpa John's All You Can Eat FRIED CHICKEN and Catfish Buffet.

What a way to end the day!  More chicken wings!